Today on Wil Wheaton's blog I see this comment, which just reminds me so much of Monkeytown that ... Well, I don't even know what to say about it. Anyhow, here's the quote:

Wil Wheaton wrote:

Today, I get my wish. (Which is a good thing, because all those frozen weasels were getting expensive.)Walt Disney Television Animation came to my voice over agent last week, and requested me for a new show they're doing called -- get this -- 'Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!'

It reads like a crazy anime-styled show for younger kids, and I get to play "Skurg" the evil leader of a Soturix 7, who wears armor of bone.

I'm tempted to say, faceiously, that Scott should have his lawyers call Disney's lawyers, but that way madness lies. So, I'll just point out this wild coincidence and step aside without futher comment._________________Good morning! That's a nice tnetennba.

I'm tempted to say, faceiously, that Scott should have his lawyers call Disney's lawyers, but that way madness lies. So, I'll just point out this wild coincidence and step aside without futher comment.

Despite the apparent similarity, there's a whole lot that we just don't know. We know next to nothing about the new show, so there's no way we can say how similar it really is to Monkeytown at this point. We also don't know to what degree Scott feels it's worth protecting these M.I. comics, characters and situations (which is a key thing).

Now, if Disney were to demand that Scott remove Monkeytown from his site or demand that he cease and desist selling prints or wallpapers featuring any Monkeytown characters, then there'd be a clear case that Scott was being wronged by Disney._________________Good morning! That's a nice tnetennba.

However, in all fairness, as much as I hate Disney (I always felt that studio gave Donald Duck a raw deal), and as much as I loved Monkey Town (which I think Scott should have given more space to on his Improv poster), the idea of a team of fury macacas acting like people is nothing new. Anybody remember Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys? Yes, even robot monkeys. Remember Mecha King Kong.

Still, I wouldn't be suprised if one of the Mouse's (Mickey, not Stanley)minions was surfing through Scott's site and did indeed get the idea from him. But how can you prove that in a court of law; especially against the team of high priced suit sharks that the Mickster will send out to rend your legal flesh?

The fact is, everybody loves monkeys. They're like furry children who entertain us with their hijinks. Everybody loves robots. They're like happy slaves, with no awareness of their civil rights. Makes sence to put the two together.

A while back, I was flipping through a batch some mid-to-late '60s Marvel comics that my friend had just picked up. In one, I noticed an ad for a live monkey. No, not Sea Monkeys; but a real live primate with a tail. They wanted something like $20 or so (1960s money). I wonder how many kids back then broke their piggy banks and sent away for their own monkey._________________"Park the beers, and grab the smiles. It's flight time." - LtCdr. J. Robert "Bobby" Stone, USN (R.I.P.)

Drawings attached to the complaint, dating from the early 1960s, pair a small, two-legged eyeball with a large, dull-witted monster character in a "buddy" relationship. The lawsuit claims that Disney and Pixar also appropriated the "buddy" relationship theme from Mouse's work.

Hmm.. a small smart guy **cough** George **cough** paired with a unusually large yet dimwitted character **cough** Lennie **cough** ? I seriously doubt that the guy can really claim credit for that concept.

However, I might point out Lawrence Lessig's talk on free culture which talks about things such as how Disney keeps working on getting the time until copyright expires extended so people can't do things with disney that disney did to the stories of the Brothers Grimm:
http://randomfoo.net/oscon/2002/lessig/

Also here's a random thought: What happens when everything possible in fiction has been done in one way or another. All character archetypes used and paired together. All types of stories used. Completely unable to write something without it beign a cliche?_________________"The way to a man's heart is through his ribcage"

While MonkeyTown is really Super-Monkey-Great, I would be hesitant to claim that anyone is ripping it off. After all, that sort of goofy anime-esque monkey humor is pretty prevelant in our culture, as is goofy anime-esque team battle humor. Think of Mojo Jojo on the Powerpuff Girls. I think this is most likely a case of convergent evolution.

Even if that were not the case, copyright law does not protect ideas, only creative works. Derivitave hack writing may not be briliant literature, but it is not illegal.

I don't think anyone REALLY thinks there is a case here. I think we're all giving vent to a fear shared by all small creators. Namely, something we created will be stolen or co-opted by some huge media entity with really deep pockets and a legion of lawyers.

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go - a futuristic anime-style action/adventure series about a 13-year old boy, Chiro who heads up a band of high-tech monkey warriors as. Produced by from Walt Disney Television Animation. Fall 2004.

Not much to go on. I also found out who the PRODUCTION MANAGER of it was/is, and she looking for a job. I don't think I will post the link to her resume. But she was also the Production Manager of "Kim Possible," "Peter Pan II: Return to Never Land," "Clerks:The Cartoon," "Pepper Ann," "101 Dalmatians: The Series." And a PRODUCER at Icebox.com (Mr. Wong, Naked Guy:Private Eye, Ann Tenna).

- Corey has just begun a new Disney animated series called "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force, Go!" The series will also star Mark Hammil (Star Wars) & Tom McKinney (the voice of Sponge Bob SquarePants). The series will be used to launch a new channel in September created by Fox & Disney, called Jetix!

Greg Cipes, the voice of Beast Boy on Teen Titans, has also been cast.
A Teen Titans fan site, teentitans.aifandom.com, has quoted Greg:

Quote:

"I am Currently working on many new cartoons soon to come. I am the lead in Disney's new animated series called SUPER ROBOT MONKEY TEAM ULTRA FORCE GO. It's sure to make a huge splash once released." SUPER ROBOT MONKEY TEAM ULTRA FORCE GO - set to air is September - is "by far the coolest cutting edge Cartoon Disney has done,"

This guy is calling it "Ultra Force" instead of "Hyperforce" or "Hyper Force."